FLL Hotel Recomendations

[whitford]

Still looking for a 2 night Hotel the middle of January 2020. Close to port and shopping. Restaurants near a plus. Not interested in lux room/price, clean a must. What are your recommendations and what are your rejects?

[Roz]

Still looking....what hotels have you looked at so far and rejected, and why?  You're sailing during peak Florida season and will pay top price.

 

Have you tried the Florida Departures forum?  Lots of good info there.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Roz

[3rdGenCunarder]

Where are you sailing from? If it's Fort Lauderdale, Embassy Suites is great. Not cheap, but short cab ride to the port, with shopping and restaurants nearby. If a lot of ships are sailing the same day, hotel prices go up due to demand, and the best ones sell out completely. 

 

Try tripadvisor, and use the map view to see where hotels are located.

 

[1025cruise]

My recommendation is to look at the Florida Departures board, where this is discussed regularly. 

[jb008]

Not near port at all.

 

Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation

7801 S.W. 6th Street

Plantation, Florida 33324

Phone: +1-954-382-4500

 

Free airport shuttle and free shuttle to port.  Free breakfast.  Right near a Target and shopping mall for last minute items.  Stayed there at least twice now, would happily stay there again.

 

We did Embassy Suites a while ago now and that was also a solid hotel choice.

 

I can also recommend you avoid 

Super 8 Dania/Fort Lauderdale Airport

333 South Federal Highway, Dania Beach, FL 33304
My tripadvisor review posted Jan. '18 includes the line: "A tent in the parking lot would probably be cleaner..." and from the more recent reviews that comment appears to still hold.

 

 

[canadianbear]

13 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

My recommendation is to look at the Florida Departures board, where this is discussed regularly. 

 

 

I second this!  There are SO many hotels to choose from.   I went to the Florida departure board on CC when we did our first cruise out of Ft Lauderdale-was a fountain of information.  I took lots of notes then also looked at a hotel map where they all were.  Picked a hotel in the area we wanted to try-close to the water taxi.  We have tried several different hotels on our trips there but my favourite (so far) was the Riverside hotel.  Right on Las Olas Blvd within walking distance of so many restaurants and bars and at the taxi stop.  

 

 

[kazu]

OP,

 

I wouldn’t take too much time deciding.  Our hotel and many others are already sold out for April 2020.  January is usually a peak time so your choices may not be many if you are too late.

 

If in doubt, book a couple (with cancellation permitted), research and then cancel the one you don’t want.

 

Otherwise, you could be in the precarious position of having little choice.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, kazu said:

OP,

 

I wouldn’t take too much time deciding.  Our hotel and many others are already sold out for April 2020.  January is usually a peak time so your choices may not be many if you are too late.

 

If in doubt, book a couple (with cancellation permitted), research and then cancel the one you don’t want.

 

Otherwise, you could be in the precarious position of having little choice.

 

I agree.

 

I think there are 6 other ships in port when my cruise leaves in Feb. A few months ago I discovered that most of my choices were fully booked. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have stayed many times at the Embassy Suites both pre and post cruise over the years.  It is right next to the Harbor Shops and Restaurants.  Total Wine is located there -- many people buy their wine there to take onto the ship.

[cruzn single]

I have stayed at the Embassy Suites for years.  Years ago, I was there for business,  and have continued staying there for leisure travel.   I agree that the restaurants close by are a deciding factor.  Plus, Publix is a short walk away.

 

With several ships In Port, especially more if there is more than one RCCL ship, I would be booking sooner rather than later.

[maggieq]

Read the reviews on TripAdvisor.com.  We find the Renaissance to fit what we need   Although the area is not what it used to be. 

[Himself]

I like the Embassy Suites.  I also like the Riverside on Las Olis Blvd, The Hotel at Pier 66 and the Hilton Marina.  

[jagger16]

We like the Pelican Grand and don’t find it to be too far from the port. Everything in Fort Lauderdale is relatively near each other although traffic can impact travel time.

[OmarOak]

Definitely a fan of the Rennaisance. Unlike others, I found the Embassy Suites (particularly the Breakfast) awful.

[iancal]

Embassy Suites....hotel with dingy rooms desperately calling out for a renovation  and the most costly ‘free breakfast’ in FLL.  Not to mention the stale nachos and the ‘plonk with a bite’.  Or the line ups for both.

Edited October 5, 2019 by iancal

[iflyrc5]

15 hours ago, whitford said:

Still looking for a 2 night Hotel the middle of January 2020. Close to port and shopping. Restaurants near a plus. Not interested in lux room/price, clean a must. What are your recommendations and what are your rejects?

Go to the home port section of CC you will find an entire section on FLL ports.

[mamaofami]

We like Riverside on Los Olas. Plenty of restaurants and stores on Los Olas and a short ride to the pier.

[summer slope]

We always stay at the Hilton Marina.  Great views of the port, love seeing "my" ship coming back for me.

[Himself]

51 minutes ago, summer slope said:

We always stay at the Hilton Marina.  Great views of the port, love seeing "my" ship coming back for me.

It is also close to the Water Taxi which is convenieny yo the Beach area and the shops at Los Olas,

[Judyrem]

We stayed at the Lago Mar, lovely quiet hotel.  We took Lyft to go out to eat.

 

In August we stayed in the Embassy Suites and I was extremely disappointed.  We stayed there many years ago and it was very good.  It needs an intervention IMO.

[avian777]

For a one-night stay, we like the Hilton Marina.  For longer stays, we like the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa and the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard. 

[fatcat04]

56 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

We stayed at the Lago Mar, lovely quiet hotel.  We took Lyft to go out to eat.

 

In August we stayed in the Embassy Suites and I was extremely disappointed.  We stayed there many years ago and it was very good.  It needs an intervention IMO.

We too stayed at Embassy Suites. Our stay was this last February. After many great stays over the years, we were horribly disappointed this time. Check in was an hour late. Service was slow and rooms were dated and dingy. The elevator situation was unreal. We won't be back until they improve.

Edited October 5, 2019 by fatcat04

[Daisyloo]

10 hours ago, OmarOak said:

Definitely a fan of the Rennaisance. Unlike others, I found the Embassy Suites (particularly the Breakfast) awful.

 

Agreed

 

[WisRiver]

Another option in FLL just down the street from Embassy Suites is Holiday Inn Express.  We stayed there last year while the hotel was undergoing expansion.  Free shuttle from airport, and short Lyft ride to ship.  Skip the paid shuttle from the hotel.  It will be more expensive and crowded.  You are close to Total Wine, Publix and many restaurants.    Not bad for one night.

[sevenseasnomad]

Book quickly.  Make certain you can cancel your reservation.  If you find a better hotel/deal later, you can book your new hotel, then cancel your 1st reservation.  We've done this many times.  We book as early as possible.  For our Christmas/New Year's cruise, we booked last May at Embassy Suites.  After reading many negative reviews of that property on multiple websites, we changed to Hyatt House, which provides free airport shuttle, cruise shuttle for small fee (we won't take it, taxi may be cheaper and more convenient we've found), and free hot breakfast.  Hyatt House, a fairly new property, was about $100 cheaper than Embassy Suites when we booked.  

 

If you want a lot of restaurants/shopping close by, however, this may not be the property for you.  There are some restaurants, according to a map, within .1 mile, but they may not appeal to your tastes.  Investigate before you book.  Good luck finding a hotel that checks most of your boxes, and have a lovely cruise.